Chapter 38: Fake Girlfriend

We arrived at our next destination which was one of the most famous luxury hotels in the city. Hayden parked his car right in front of the hotel lobby’s entrance where a valet dressed in a black suit came to assist Hayden. Without a word, Hayden placed his hand at the small of my back and began guiding me into the hotel.

"Don’t act so nervous…" Hayden whispered closed to my ear.

"It’s not like I can help it…" I whispered back.

How can I not be nervous about this? I felt like I was about to have a mental breakdown or a panic attack at any moment. Everything about this place and this situation made me feel out of place like a fish out of the waters.

"Hayden…I can’t do this…I’m very sorry," I whispered as I suddenly stopped in my tracks.

"Yes, you can. You look so beautiful tonight, I could mistake you for an angel that came down from the heavens to earth," Hayden whispered closed my ear.

"You’re so evil…" I hissed. I knew he didn’t quite mean what he said but I couldn’t stop myself from feeling a little happy at his compliments.

"So, I’ve been told…" Hayden said as he smiled charmingly at me without a care.

Now what?n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

…

A while ago while we were in Hayden’s car on the way to our next destination, I began demanding for answers to the endless streams of questions that were floating around in my head. I felt like my head was going to split open if I couldn’t get any answers to them.

"Why did you make me get a makeover?" I asked, demanding for answers.

"Because I can’t let you turn up dressed in rags and looking the way you usually do," Hayden answered matter-of-factly.

"Turn up where? Where are we going?" I asked, raising my voice a little to get his attention.

"You’ll find out soon. At least now you sorta look the part…" Hayden said, his eyes glued to the road.

"Look the part? What part?" I asked, getting more confused by the minute.

"Listen to me carefully because I’m only going to tell you this once. I’m taking you to a private party that one of my best friends is hosting. When you’re there all you have to do is act like you’re his girlfriend, ok?" Hayden explained so casually that I didn’t get his message at first.

"Ok…no wait! What? Me…act as your friend’s girlfriend?" I replied in shock.

Of all the crazy scenarios that I had imagined, faking to be his best friend’s girlfriend wasn’t on my list of crazy scenarios. Then again, Hayden asking me to go on a date with him was probably more far-fetched than what I’m facing right now.

"Isn’t that what I just said?" Hayden said with a hint of annoyance.

"No…that’s crazy. There’s no way that I’m doing that…" I said firmly, my voice getting louder.

"Guess you’ve suddenly got the 500 million dollars to pay my old man back now, huh?" Hayden asked, his tone so sarcastic that I wanted to box him in the ear.

I wanted to scream at him. How dare he rub my debt in my face like that? I hated what he was doing so much but as much as I hated to admit it, he was partly right. This was part of fulfilling the deal that I had made with his father. However, how am I supposed to act like a fake girlfriend for a guy that I have never met before?

"So…what do I have to do…exactly?" I asked after letting out a resigned sigh.

"Now you’re finally getting it. The friend that I’ve got to help out is the son of a very large conglomerate dealing with shipping and cargo and the like. Basically, his father is trying to get him to date an heiress to a rather big empire made of cash.

However, as you would expect the classic story to go, my friend has no interest in that girl and that is where you come in," Hayden explained before turning to wink at me.

"I guess I have to play the role of his girlfriend to get keep that girl away and to show her that he already has a girlfriend?" I stated my best guess. This is getting so messed up.

"Exactly right. So, during the party, he will introduce you as his girlfriend and you just play along. Simple," Hayden said.

He surely made it sound like it was nothing at all. Of course, he could say it however he wanted because he wasn’t the one all dolled up to fool the world.

"Why do I have to do this? Can’t you…hire some girl to do it instead? She’ll probably do a way better job than me," I said, trying to convince Hayden to change his mind and perhaps, turn the car around?

Hayden glanced my way and chuckled at little.

"You’re perfect because you can look decent while not looking like a hooker. If we’re going to convince that heiress then the girlfriend can’t be some supermodel or hooker, otherwise, she’ll just think that it isn’t a serious relationship," Hayden explained.

"Aha…" I mumbled, not quite buying his argument but it wasn’t like I had a choice.

The fake eyelashes that I had on felt heavy. My makeup was thick, my high heels were too high, the slit running up my thigh was too revealing, and the waist of my dress felt too tight. Overall, I felt like a walking disaster and couldn’t wait for this to be over and done with.

"We’ll be arriving soon. My friend’s name is Josh. He’s a decent looking guy…or so the girls say…" Hayden told me while he continued driving us to our next destination.

I sat back in my seat and prayed that I could somehow pull this off. I rolled my eyes at Hayden. At that point, I wanted to scream at him that I couldn’t care less what his friend was called or how decently looking he was…

--To be continued…